November 23, 2011

The trend seems to be firmly in place in the hyper competitive Northeast.Montreal is stuck in neutral , Boston has roared back to life , and Toronto is liking the taste of success.

The Habs have to be one of the biggest disappointments so far in this new NHL season.They got off to a terrible start and they have been struggling all year just to stay at .500. Carey Price has had some moments of brilliance but one man cannot carry a team for too long.The defensive corp in front of Price can best be described as the kiddie corp.Their lack of experience of the defense has forced Price's hand in many games and caused some loses which would not have occurred if Gill and Markov were healthy and playing.Overall we like the team but we see an uphill struggle to make the playoffs.The upside for the Habs is that the trial by fire for the youngsters on the team will translate into depth at some point.

The Boston Bruins should be renamed the Beastie Boys.These guys are ravaging the NHL with a goal differential of 26.It is almost like opposing goalies are not showing up when they play the Bruins.Boston had struggled at the start of the year but we clearly see that they are set for the rest of the season.You have to like them to repeat if they keep up this ferocious pace. Marchand and Seguin are the future for the team so we see nothing but upside for this group.We expected Boston to struggle and have the Stanley Cup "hangover" but they have shown us and the entire world that they are the real deal.These guys are playing their hearts out every night of each other and it shows.

The boys in Toronto are turning naysayers into believers.They easily dispatched The Lightning on Tuesday and proved that the early season dash to the top is the real thing.The Lightning are a talent laden team with likes of St-Louis, LeCavalier and Stamkos; yet they fell to the Leafs by a stinky 7-1.The offense from the leafs side came from contributors like Bozek and Connolly which shows you that Toronto is a well balanced attack.Stars like Kessel and Lupul are the leaders but this team is built to last with solid players at every position.Depth is the name of the game in TO and we expect them to challenge all season in their division and make serious waves in the playoffs.This Leafs team is tired of losing and they are determined to in still a new winning tradition.We think they are well on their way to achieving that goal.